Late Afternoonish/Early Eveningish Open Thread

There has to be a joke about trial lawyers in here somewhere:

A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.  [...]

Three islanders from Lesbos — home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women — have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.

This is an open thread for Lesbians, Lesbians and everybody else...

•  "Let's be friends." n/t

  by pakaal on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:22:46 PM PDT

  •  somewhere, chris matthews is hyperventilating

    this is his biggest story

    by indiansfordean on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:24:53 PM PDT

    •  Wrong kind of homoerotic

      Chris is into "swaggers" and leg-tingles.

      by Jaxpagan on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:30:46 PM PDT

      •  What's next? Can't say you're Gaelic? ;)

        by BentLiberal on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:09:26 PM PDT

  •  Can men be lesbians too there? n/t

    by Skid on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:33:09 PM PDT

    •  Give it up, Skid...

      Rachel Maddow is never going out with you.

      by Mogolori on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:38:50 PM PDT

    •  yes, if you are Eddie Izzard

      Izzard describes himself as an "executive" or "action" transvestite, as "a male tomboy" or "male lesbian" rather than a "weirdo" transvestite (he cites J. Edgar Hoover as an example of the latter).

      http://en.wikipedia.org/...

      by science first on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:50:35 PM PDT

    •  Yes, my Dad was a Lesbian.

      My Greek immigrant father was born and raised on Lesbos (modern name Mytilene) as was my mother.

      I am of Lesbian descent so I guess that makes me a Lesbian too, but sadly I don't think I'd stand a chance with Rachel Maddow.

      by Ralphie247 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 09:49:29 PM PDT

•  BARACK IS WINNING

  by aaraujo on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:23:38 PM PDT

  •  Can you shout that at me again?

    and maybe add "you fool" to the end?

    by ksh01 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:28:51 PM PDT

    •  BARACK IS WINNING

      you fool!

      by aaraujo on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:31:50 PM PDT

      •  Ya know

        that makes me want to replace my bedroom light switch with a 'better off dead' switch from Frankenstein.

        You fool! Man was not meant to know such things!

        by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:38:33 PM PDT

      •  Thanks, I needed that....n/t

        by ksh01 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 08:44:25 PM PDT

•  Why does America have 11 Aircraft Carriers...

  and 10,000 crumbling schools?

  by David Kroning on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:23:48 PM PDT

  •  WARPED PRIORITIES

    by aaraujo on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:24:28 PM PDT

    •  I don't know about your school district..BUT

      When the top 20 highest paid school district employees are administrators AND they all make over $100K per year, with the Superintendent is making $210K as the list is published multiple times per year in our local paper......and I do not know how far down the list you have to go to finally get to a teacher I think your answer may lie in there somewhere......

      by BillyHill on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 06:41:01 PM PDT

  •  It should be noted that the US has only

    11 more supercarriers than the rest of the planet put together.  That's not a very wide margin.

    /snark

    by darthstar on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:24:54 PM PDT

    •  If there must be supercarriers...

      ...let them be ours, bearing the USA flag.

      Everybody wants to rule the world.  

      As much as I don't like rules in general, I'd positively LOATHE their rules.

      by Aidos on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:03:45 PM PDT

    •  In an actual shooting war,

      that number would drop to 0 fairly rapidly.

      Look up General Paul Van Riper and the Millennium Challenge 02.  Supercarrier groups are about as useful as failing schools at this point.

      by jbelac on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 08:27:18 PM PDT

  •  Because...

    there are not enough lesbians in charge of things.

    by ChristieKeith on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:31:40 PM PDT

    •  In a better world they would be....

      and think of all the money we would save replacing Humvees with Subarus! ;-)

      by Schtu on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:05:02 PM PDT

  •  You are un-American for asking such things!

    I suspect you support Jeremiah Wright.  

    The question is how do we get fewer schools that confuse children about their values and the divinity of God and get more air craft carriers to protect us from the Iranians?

    by audiored on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:36:22 PM PDT

  •  competition among the branches

    Army wants foreign landbases while the Navy argues that aircraft carriers represent mobile foreign bases so we have both for a redundant system with each service taking care of its own.

    by entlord1 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:36:37 PM PDT

  •  Because it's not sexy to hang a

    "Mission Accomplished" banner next to the Happy Valley Elementary School entrance.

    by llamaRCA on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:36:45 PM PDT

  •  The carriers are cheap

    Honestly, they are. Not paying for them would barely make a dent in the school problem.

    Operating the carrier fleet costs about $2B per year. That would only cover half of the CA education budget shortfall for this year, not to mention the other 49 states.

    There's plenty of real budget outrages, but aircraft carriers aren't really the big point of outrage. Besides, they're among our best and most cost effective national defense assets. Lots of defense stuff should be cut before these.

    by johnsonwax on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:39:24 PM PDT

    •  Where in the world do you get those numbers?

      Personnel costs on a single carrier is probably in the neighborhood of a half a billion. Fuel, parts, paint, food, more paint.  And we haven't started on the planes.

      by Nailbanger on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:48:27 PM PDT

      •  Just for the carrier itself.

        We'd still have the personnel and planes even without the ships. Probably more of them in fact if they were ground-based and the temptation would be to have more bases stationed around the world.

        I'll be the first to admit that there's a lot in the military that we can do without, but carriers are one of our better assets. In fact, I'd rather we have more of them and fewer ground bases if it were practical to do so. The reduction in regional tension by having us not have a base within mortar range of somebody's holy city or cultural icon would be well worth the investment.

        by johnsonwax on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:58:40 PM PDT

        •  Agreed the aircraft carriers are an awesome

          projection of power.  
          Did a little research and according to the GAO, their annualized cost in 2007 dollars is about 444 million each, not including the air wing or the rest of the battle group.

          by Nailbanger on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:33:02 PM PDT

          •  Hmm, that's higher than what I found

            but that's probably a difference of what's being included. Still, $5B isn't outrageous for a nation our size and for the utility of the suckers.

            IIRC, about 2 weeks in Iraq is about $5B if we want to look at a good budget savings...

            by johnsonwax on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 06:06:37 PM PDT

    •  Plus, US Naval power is generally useful

      not just to attack/enforce US interests, but also global interests, such as combating piracy, something poorer countries cannot really do well on their own.

      by Nick Blas on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:59:07 PM PDT

  •  Because:

    The post-WWII vision of naval power accented the carrier group. U.S. foreign obligations (i.e., NATO, etc) made necessary carrier groups essentially all over the world at any given time. While the decentralized and non-state nature of most modern conflicts may call it into question, the multi-fuctionality of a good carrier makes them still important anchors, so to speak, of naval power.

    Why our schools are crumbling is a separate question, though I respect your questioning of priorities. The answer there is that federal funding is a clusterfuck, burdened by unnecessary and inefficient bureaucratic structures, awkward divisions of power between local school boards, state agencies and federal bodies, uneven funding of schools within the same state (and even the same district) because of tax-base weighted funding formulas (ain't no schools in 90210 crumbling, believe me) and over-politization of any attempt to solve the problems in a pragmatic, Six Sigma-style overhaul.

    by Jaxpagan on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:40:49 PM PDT

  •  Because we can't find 909 other schools

    to crumble so we can make it an even dozen?

    by lineatus on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:43:41 PM PDT

  •  Because...

    ...we can't afford 11,000 crumbling schools.

    by nedog on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 07:53:23 PM PDT

•  Oh no!

  Can a lawsuit from Gayville, South Dakota be far behind?

  by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:24:20 PM PDT

  •  Shit!

    What is our new name gonna be? When I came out, we could be "gay" too... and I liked that better, I liked the linkage. I mean homosexual men and women do have a lot in common, because we both face the same prejudices, although it is worse for the guys I have to admit.

    Ok, sorry to wander, but what's next?

    I hate having to change my name all the time.

    by PLS on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:32:51 PM PDT

    •  Well, Google maps

      Doesn't list any queertons, queerlands, or queervilles, so that's probably safe.

      Back in the GLBA days of college, most folks I knew just used queer, probably because it was gender neutral.

      by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:35:39 PM PDT

      •  Nope,

        Queer is the only umbrella left in the community, and I want it to stay that way. Besides, I can't see the term "Queer" being retired for guys anyway. Although, I would be happy to be reunited with my brothers under that umbrella, it's my favorite handle actually. Kinda a "take it back kinda thing". I am 52 and we got called queer back in the 60's too.

        by PLS on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:48:56 PM PDT

      •  Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual A

        ...is the best A there is.

        Seriously, what's the A for?

        by Michael D on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:50:11 PM PDT

        •  A = Alliance, but

          they typically include the transgender too, although they don't get a letter in the group name.

          by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:51:44 PM PDT

          •  And that leaves out the folks born

            with uncertain gender. Doctors used to just pick one, and "correct" but lately, more and more of these kids are not "fixed". Later in life, if a decision needs to be made, they make it themselves. These folks don't even have a letter, yet.

            by Jacques on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:04:04 PM PDT

            •  Intersex.

              Although, the initialisms can get pretty long. Like FABGLITTER. Or, the more euphonious LGBTTI2QQAP.

              by Michael D on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:12:38 PM PDT

              •  PS: This is why I prefer 'queer.' n/t

                by Michael D on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:13:19 PM PDT

              •  Thanks. Personally, I'd rather stop

                subdividing people. I don't care. I don't see why anybody else cares. Maybe it's just from being bi, but my reaction is usually, good for you, and BFD.

                At 50 years old, I'm still not so clear about why "self identification" is so important. There was an 8 month period of my life when I was dating exclusively lesbians, because they asked me out, (I still don't know what that was all about.) Admittedly, I live in a small town (San Francisco) where everyone knows everyone else's business, but, for a while I was just waking up in the morning saying, "Okay, this is weird, this is a nice person, but she's not supposed to be interested in me..."

                I'd like to stop putting labels on people, and sex. We're all people, and there's sex. There's just sex, and just people. You're a lesbian? Fine, but if you want to fuck a boy, you can. You're heterosexual, fine, but I'll blow you if you ask me nice. You're a committed carnivore, but I'll take you to Greens for dinner, and you'll have a good time, I promise. If you're a vegan, I can take you to a farm where there are very happy goats, that are killed humanely, you can pet them, and eat one of their older relatives, on a nice bed of mashed potatoes.

                We spend too much time labeling ourselves, and splitting us up. As a Chinese-American, Jewish, bisexual, dominant, sadistic, progressive, ex-porn star, I say we, and you don't need another label to replace "Lesbian" we need fewer labels overall.

                by Jacques on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:40:03 PM PDT

          •  Really?

            I've always heard it as GLBT...which reminds me of a tasty tasty sandwich and thus makes me viscerally as well as intellectually likely to support it...

            mmm, glbt...

            by jbelac on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 08:29:45 PM PDT

            •  Maybe it's regional

              on my campus, we were just the GLBA.

              Possibly because we had no transgendered members up to the time I was there.

              by drbloodaxe on Thu May 01, 2008 at 10:14:27 AM PDT

    •  Pick something that will make a statement...

      something either fun, or that will cause fun to ensue. And more lawsuits! If Lesbos lesbians can sue, anyone can sue, but have some fun with it.

      How about McPeople? McDonald's sues everyone! The lawsuit would have people in the streets with signs that say "McPeople are People, too!", and "Happy Meals aren't just for kids anymore!" I admit, this is too generic, and inclusive, if we're looking for just a replacement for "lesbian".

      "Little Dutch boys"? The Dutch are remarkably relaxed, and probably wouldn't object, and it's one of my favorite fables...

      As a bi-guy, I'd like something inclusive of bisexuals, but, at the moment, I got nuthin'. Oh, and if it turns out to be something really exclusive, with funny spelling, like womynist, or womynista, go for it! Lately, as in the last 30 years, we haven't been willing to go to the extremes .

      P.S. As far as

      I hate having to change my name all the time.

      we (I'm speaking as a fellow traveler) haven't changed our names as much as Negro, African Americans, Afro Americans, black people. The smartest decision the NAACP made, way back when, was to keep their name static. They would have gone broke just changing the stationary.

      by Jacques on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:01:29 PM PDT

  •  Well hell....

    .....I don't have any problem saying I'm a Californicator.

    by Doug in SF on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:34:55 PM PDT

  •  Just don't say you're Gaelic. n/t

    by BentLiberal on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:13:38 PM PDT

•  Yeah....

  ... good luck with that, Island of Lesbos Inhabitants. I'm happy for you, that you have so little trouble in the world you're trying to stir some up.

  Jeesh!!

  Lisa

  by Boston to Salem on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:24:23 PM PDT

  •  Recently I read a rather scholarly history

    looking at British conceptions of Lesbianism (the gay kind) in the 16th and 17th centuries.  And thanks to the enduring fame of the poet Sappho, the geographical term ALREADY referred to the sexuality term, waaaayyy back then.  

    So they're a little late to the courts with this complaint.  Not to mention, their entire island's economy has thrived on gay tourism and Sappho-related tourism.  Do they want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?  

    by lgmcp on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:31:41 PM PDT

    •  but Queen Victoria put the squelch on that

      when asked why British sodomy laws only addressed male homosexuality, she replied that an English lady would never consider such a thing, so such a law was unnecessary.

      However, indications are she was turning a blind eye to her own court.  

      by entlord1 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:38:55 PM PDT

      •  Ahh, the No True Scotsman paradox

        Lovely.

        by jbelac on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 08:30:42 PM PDT

    •  Well, a bit off on the centuries

      but here's the text:

      Passions between Women: British Lesbian Culture, 1668-1801

      by lgmcp on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:40:36 PM PDT

  •  I'm a Lesbian, and so is Michael Dukakis.

    My maternal grandmother's family hails from the island of Lesbos. So did Dukakis, a distant relative. Ha!

    by trueblue illinois on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 06:07:21 PM PDT

•  I thought the term for someone from Lesbos...

  ...was Lesbosian - that's what it says in Trivial Pursuit!

  by AnotherMassachusettsLiberal on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:24:25 PM PDT

  •  I was thinking Lesbonese as a group

    by pickandshovel on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:34:40 PM PDT

    •  Was Klinger

      Lesbonese?

      by SadTexan on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:35:48 PM PDT

      •  He Was LEBONESE!

        Easy to get confused, I know. Dog d*mn dyslexia...

        by CityLightsLover on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:47:19 PM PDT

  •  This suit might backfire:

    According to Wiki, Lesbos is a popular tourist destination for Lesbians - the women who like women kind, I mean, not the ones that live on the island. That is to say the ones who aren't lesbians who actually live on the island who.... OK, I give up now.

    by pakaal on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:43:07 PM PDT

  •  Anyone remember the sitcom "Soap"?

    Jodie (Billy Crystal) talking to Jessica (Katherine Helmond) about all thing gay, and eventually, it turns out that Danny Thomas was a lesbian...or was it Mickey Mouse's dog was gay...or both...

    by Jacques on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:10:37 PM PDT

•  That's ironic...

  NAMBLA sued Greece a while back for their status of the biggest organization advocating man-boy relationships.

  by Blimey on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:24:55 PM PDT

  •  what does pedophilia

    have to do with lesbianism?

    by Crisis Corps Volunteer on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:33:15 PM PDT

•  Fox News In Critical Condition

  Diary here.

  

  Cross-posted at News Corpse here.

  by KingOneEye on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:25:10 PM PDT

  •  oh please oh please oh please oh please

    let them die a ratings death...

    by beijingbetty on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:26:02 PM PDT

    •  Murdoch will

      never let that happen.

      by Crisis Corps Volunteer on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:37:33 PM PDT

    •  Hum...

      maybe that's why Wallace was "pretty nice" to Obama.In the end they will follow the ratings, after all, the bottom line trumps everything else with these people. Keith is quite open about the fact that it was the bottom line that saved his ass after his first special comment.

      by PLS on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:40:57 PM PDT

  •  Oops...

    The diary is actually here.

    by KingOneEye on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:26:39 PM PDT

  •  Obviously Fox needs....

    more lesbians.

    by ChristieKeith on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:33:27 PM PDT

    •  and more cowbell.

      by nicejoest on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 07:21:18 PM PDT

      •  All the cable news networks need more of both.

        I've debated on a number of responses and they all seemed somewhat obscene. That may say more about me than your comment.

        by ChristieKeith on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 09:02:39 PM PDT

        •  Heck, even cowbells get the blues,

          you know.

          by nicejoest on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 09:57:02 PM PDT

          •  It's late...

            and I found that incredibly amusing.

            by ChristieKeith on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 11:22:57 PM PDT

•  Our friends say

  that my boyfriend and myself are lesbians. Maybe moving in together after four weeks played into that cliché.

  :-)

  by MBNYC on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:25:19 PM PDT

  •  Everyone...

    is always trying to get in on our hot girl on girl action.

    by ChristieKeith on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:32:48 PM PDT

  •  Oh, come on!

    Everyone knows that's what lesbians do on their second date.

    ;~)

    by Brooke In Seattle on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:32:56 PM PDT

    •  The joke as I first heard it

      What does a lesbian bring on her second date?

      A U-Haul with all her stuff

      What does a gay guy bring on his second date?

      What second date....

      by surferal on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:36:47 PM PDT

•  John McCain is even worse than I thought

  My diary taking John McCain to the woodshed for his cluelessness on Iraq fell through the cracks. Either 2:15 pst is a bad time to post or people just aren't ready for the general election.

  by CalexanderJ on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:26:03 PM PDT

  •  No, Obama sneezed three times in a row

    earlier today. Nothing can move up to the rec list when something that amazingly important happens.

    Sorry, kid. You thought pie was important? The fight between Obama (D-Kumbaya) and Clinton (D-DLC) is as important as pie.

    by Jacques on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:17:11 PM PDT

•  Has Dimitris considered . . .

  . . . maybe his sister has just been trying to hint something to him?

  by Jaxpagan on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:26:13 PM PDT

•  ohmigawd! Billo just fell off his chair

  At least we know what the next several days of Faux news will be reporting!

  by SallyCat on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:26:17 PM PDT

  •  With our Fox correspondant on scene . . .

    Take it away, Geraldo

    by Jaxpagan on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:27:35 PM PDT

  •  I am at work, do tell

    What happened?

    by gloryous1 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:36:49 PM PDT

    •  It was a figure of speech

      about what Billo would do about Lesbo suing Lesbians for the use of the name....

      My smart ass mouth wasn't working as well as I thought!

      by SallyCat on Thu May 01, 2008 at 06:07:40 AM PDT

  •  Between This and Hanna Montana,

    maybe "he'll" never leave his house.

    by CityLightsLover on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:49:16 PM PDT

  •  I think SallyCat is speaking figuratively

    And how about a shout-out to my favorite person of the Sapphic inclination, Rachel Maddow. <swoon>

    by rwsab on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:57:38 PM PDT

•  Couldn't people from Lesbos be...

  Lesbots?

  Lesbonians?

  Lesboses?

  by alan in sf on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:27:16 PM PDT

  •  or... Greeks? n/t

    by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:28:03 PM PDT

  •  Sapphists anyone? n/t

    by detler on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:32:15 PM PDT

    •  only for Sophists

      by entlord1 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:40:09 PM PDT

  •  Lesbots?

    Those DVDs aren't real, Alan.

    by Michael D on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:57:36 PM PDT

  •  Lesbocrats? Lesbics?

    by Jacques on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:42:30 PM PDT

  •  It's a great question for "Ask Dr. Maddow" n/t

    by bobinson on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 08:25:01 PM PDT

•  never heard of Red Bull?

  Despite the 19-hour days she puts in on the trail, she's apparently never heard of the energy drink Red Bull. Asked if she's ever had one, she replied, "No. What is it?"

  http://blogs.abcnews.com/...

  by aaraujo on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:27:20 PM PDT

  •  who's the elitist now?

    does she live in a cave?

    by citizenx on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:32:11 PM PDT

    •  Might help her campaign...

      ...she needs a pair of wings at this point.

      by pakaal on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:45:09 PM PDT

      •  with vodka

        is mighty good

        by aaraujo on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:50:56 PM PDT

        •  ick. Red Bull give me

          HEARTBURN!!!!!!!!!

          by nicejoest on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 07:23:59 PM PDT

•  in other news, Caucasians to sue white people

  Three people from Caucasus region have taken white people to court for using the word Caucasian in its name.

  "My sister can't say she is a Caucasian. Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Caucus region," he said.

  by YoungDem05 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:27:40 PM PDT

  •  Where did that term come from?

    I just recently noticed that my birth certificate says I'm "Caucasian."  I was born in the USA, thank you very much.

    by SadTexan on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:30:21 PM PDT

    •  it just sounds

      so much better than "white guy".

      by KibbutzAmiad on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:31:02 PM PDT

      •  One day, in the distant future, our children's ..

        ... children's children's children are going to look up from a book data access device and ask, "Could people see colors in the 21st Century?  It's so funny -- there's all this talk about black people and white people -- it's as though they had no concept, or lacked the words to describe, colors.  White people!  Har-har!"

        by Yellow Canary on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:40:54 PM PDT

  •  My wife was SO mad that day...

    On my Russian wife's first day in the USA, I was helping her fill out a form. I said, "Just check "Caucasian..."
    She replied, loudly enough to be heard in the next town, "I am NOT a Caucasian!!!"

    In Russia, that term does not mean "white:" it describes a specific ethnic group from the southern mountains.

    by willie horton on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:37:40 PM PDT

    •  I use the latin form...

      where white = alba if I recall.

      So we're all Albanians.

      by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:39:59 PM PDT

  •  Oh, shit!

    I was looking to see if anyone did this.  Great minds . . .

    by GOTV on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:56:04 PM PDT

•  Has anyone

  else seen this company:

  http://foreclosurebustours.com/

  I saw them advertising in a nearby suburb.  I was appalled.  I thought I was sort of at absolute appalled level before, but apparently I have yet to reach it.

  by KibbutzAmiad on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:27:52 PM PDT

  •  Are you going to

    gawk, or to suss out potential homes to buy?

    by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:28:46 PM PDT

    •  Me, personally?

      I am barely staving off foreclosure myself.  I was driving to my 2nd job when I saw them advertising.  But apparently it's for people who are looking to pick off "low hanging fruit".

      During the depression, people joined together to fight evictions.  Now we feed off the corpses of the evicted.

      by KibbutzAmiad on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:30:13 PM PDT

      •  I worded that poorly

        I meant the folks taking the tours.  Either way, it's a bit sick.

        by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:31:08 PM PDT

        •  Yes, the folks taking

          the tours are apparently doing it for the same reasons vultures circle.  

          I was just (stupidly) shocked.  I'm not wed to the idea of karma but boy, does that ever seem like piling up some mighty bad stuff in your corner.

          The "Profit from the Misery of Others!" advertising - just sickened me.

          by KibbutzAmiad on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:33:05 PM PDT

          •  Lynchings also used to draw a good crowd

            as well as official executions.

            by entlord1 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:49:12 PM PDT

  •  It's been covered on CNN....

    The worst thing I've seen so far is grocery stores are making a killing selling outdated food for half price.

    by David Kroning on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:29:54 PM PDT

    •  I was about

      to ask if that was illegal, but I guess nothing is anymore, as long as a corporation does it.

      by KibbutzAmiad on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:31:45 PM PDT

    •  Half the food I eat is outdated

      even though I buy it when it's got 2-3 yrs left to it supposedly.  I haven't caught up to my pantry yet.

      by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:32:05 PM PDT

      •  Ah, I ate some 7 year old canned green beans

        last month...nothing was wrong with them. We pull from the front of our pantry as much as possible but somethings just get lost. }:>

        by Its any one guess on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:46:43 PM PDT

    •  geesh, where I shop

      they often try to sell outdated food for full price.  You really have to watch those sell by dates or you can get burned.

      I've tried other stores in town and its the same.

      by sodalis on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:39:27 PM PDT

    •  at least it is half price

      here it is in the 10% off bin.

      by entlord1 on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:41:37 PM PDT

•  Today was 4th part of Global Food Crisis series

  in the Washington Post, and again I posted a diary derived from it, this time entitled The destructiveness of corn-based ethanol    I invite you to read the diary, the Post story and sidebar to which I link, and to comment.

  Peace

  by teacherken on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:28:20 PM PDT

  •  teacherken...

    I think Rev. Wright torpedoed your important series...I've been keeping up with it, but I'm sorry it hasn't got the exposure it deserves.

    by David Kroning on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:31:05 PM PDT

    •  Oh, I think it has

      yseterda' diary had over 200 recommend.   Today's didn't, but that's okay, there are other important subjects around

      by teacherken on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:36:07 PM PDT

      •  Congratulations on the 200, ken

        You must be very proud.

        by GOTV on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:13:41 PM PDT

    •  Funny how the vast left wing blogosphere

      works just like corporate media that way.

      by audiored on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:40:51 PM PDT

•  Just wait till word of this reaches

  The good folks of Fisting, Tennessee

  by Jaxpagan on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:29:21 PM PDT

  •  snicker n/t

    by high uintas on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:37:29 PM PDT

•  Michele Obama to be on AC 360 tonight.

  more about it in this blog...
  http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com

  you can even leave a comment on this or other stuff.

  by deMemedeMedia on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:29:25 PM PDT

  •  Why? I don't understand why they keep talking....

    about Wright.

    by David Kroning on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:31:44 PM PDT

    •  I just keep posting comments bashing

      the "Wright Coverage" and make demands for them to cover issues.

      Today, I am on the 'raw figures' that are used to mislead the public when "they" figure such things as Unemployment and Inflation.

      by deMemedeMedia on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:35:40 PM PDT

  •  Did you see Michelle with Rachel Ray

    Link

    Michelle's easily my favorite potential first spouse.

    by CalexanderJ on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:41:43 PM PDT

    •  Rachel totally went

      googley-eyed for Barack.

      by Michael D on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 05:04:11 PM PDT

•  I just had rice for dinner

  and now I feel slightly guilty.  But it's farther down the food chain than I eat a lot of the time.

  by drbloodaxe on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:30:11 PM PDT

  •  Food Chain

    I scrape lichen off the rocks.

    by Ray Radlein on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:33:48 PM PDT

    •  Lichens? I envy you!

      I have to eat the rocks.

      by KibbutzAmiad on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:34:41 PM PDT

      •  If prices get much higher

        I'll just eat my money.  Is too much copper bad for you?

        by sodalis on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:43:33 PM PDT

        •  It's better than eating your piggy bank

          

          by darthstar on Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 04:47:44 PM PDT

          •  LAUGHING